The soup and Cereal Debate

Ok, so I often enjoy soup for a light lunch but I got to thinking, if we are not supposed to eat and drink at the same time, what is soup?

What about cereal? (I can't tolerate cereal, makes me SUUUUPER sick) But for those who do, what about cereal?

I think of other thinks like this like more watery chili?

Does eating these foods break the no eating and drinking together rule?

I'm 9 months post-op btw.

It breaks the rule, unless you do something like eat the broth first, then the solid stuff in the soup.

I don't really look at things like that as rules, though.  I look at them as recommendations, or guidelines.  I can choose not to follow them sometimes if I want to.   I just make an informed decision about it.  I am aware that, if I eat soup, I will be able to eat a larger portion and that I probably won't feel full as long as I otherwise would.  Sometimes that's OK with me and I choose to eat soup.  Other times I want to feel full longer and on a small portion, and then I eat something more dense.

I agree with what Kelly said... that's the approach I take, too. But, I will have to admit, this approach only works for people of a certain personality. There are some folks who are not as in tune to what their bodies are telling them and may not be able to police themselves as well, and others simply do better with strict rules instead of guidelines with wiggle room.

I don't eat cereal at all and I only have soup when I know it is protein rich, which is pretty rarely.   I think these are definitely not compliant with the "rules" but can work for you if you need them to.   I usually don't need them to.

when i do eat cereal which is rare, even before surgery, i did not put much milk on it..just enought to barely wetten it..i HATE soggy cereal....but i mainly eat one that is high fiber/high protein...and its mainly when the plumbing gets sluggish and i need that extra oomph besides the stool softners and miralax and benefiber in my morning milk...and i treat the cereal as a snack  not as a meal....

and as far as soup goes....i was never a big soup eater unless its homeade from scratch and i make it at home....so that is on rare occasion i make soup anymore...while living in montana.. it was all the time in the winter time..but down here in florida its hot  most all the time so a hot soup just does not make sense to me...

but i also think the same with kelly, all things in moderation...and make wiggle room with all the rules....

good luck in your decision, have a blessed day

debby

Thank you for posting this!! I think about this every time I eat soup! I asked my surgeon about it because I LOVE Japanese food and we eat sushi 3-4 times a week, and most of the time I have a cup of miso soup with my meal. I've been eating the liquid of the soup first, then waiting about 3 minutes and eating the tofu and seaweed, then eating my salmon sashimi and veggies.  I ran that by my surgeon and he said besides being careful to not drink my calories, that I'm not hurting my pouch by eating the liquid first then moving on to the other items. I make soup at home once in a while and I usually use my immersion blender so that it is like a puree just because I'm worried about the liquid/solid situation. I think soup is a great way to eat lots of veggies at once, especially if I've had a few days of low veggie intake. Spinach, sauteed onions and garlic,  with chicken or veggie broth is my current fave.

But excellent question because soup does seem to be the exception to the no drinking with meals rule. I like Kelly's idea that the rules are guidelines and we can use our best judgment with each meal. Because I've wondered about protein ice cream and greek yogurt, too: if I put whole cherries in my ice cream or yogurt, isn't it like having liquids and solids together? 

Thanks for this post.  I live in New England and in the winter months on the weekends I make a big pot of homemade soup for weekend dinners.  I would hate to have to give up soups.  

I would also add that things like soups and cereals are so-called "slider" foods and therefore can contribute to dumping, depending on your tolerances.

Thank you everyone, this really helps! =]